I would like to audition the Strauss if possible during the HK hi end show period as I will be coming back for the weekend.
I was told the Da Vinci Nifty preamp is very close or even better than the Audio Note M10 pre-amp based on an ABAB comparison done in a mega system in China with Analog Domain Artemis driving a pair of fat Kharma.
It seems to me JLam has not even thought of showing the Dalby D7 preamp. It may be too high profile within the AE community. Maybe, the boss doesn't want to break the "ego" of many.
The Strauss is something extraordinary special. I will set them up either using full suite of Da Vinci electronics or full chain of TRINITY. Get prepared to be blown away and I will only use a modest digital source.
The Da Vinci Nifty Preamp/Power amp suite is a rare audio gem. It has successfully migrated from tube to solid state without compromising the immense tonal resolution of the original. Transient resolution is immense. Harmonic decays remain rich but without the intended elongation of harmonic tails common to all tube electronics.
We need an open mind here. It is not about solid state betters than tube and vice versa. Right technologies have to be employed rightly in combination in order to leap forward to the service of music. Peter Brem's signature Da Vinci transformers are employed all through probably (correct me if I am wrong) with a newly designed single ended circuitry. If you have to ask me about how does it sound, I still feel it sounds more like tube than solid state. The immense resolution of the mid range remains as the most poisonous area. Speed of dynamics is torpedo-like. It is fast but never hurries. When it hit the spot, the impact explodes. The driving power of the amp is quite a big surprise to me. Obviously, it lacks the power of the Virtu. Control is still excellent. Bass notes are tightly presented with recoil. It is quite a big fun to have bouncing bass in the room. I can feel there is a sense of elasticity attached to the string. The Chopin by Cessaro is fully married in happiness with the Da Vinci suite.
I only had a rare chance of listening to the flagship Virtu power amp once for 2 hours, the impact of Da Vinci just stays in my mind. I experienced what DSo and Shanghai Bigpiece had gone through. The only differences are they could afford the Virtu. Good news is that the Nifty is more affordable and that triggered me to offload my old rigs in exchange for a complete Da Vinci experience together with the magnificent NeoDio CDT/DAC as source.
The shocking moment came later when the Nifty suite is connected to the Troy via the CIRCUIT GROUND posts. That becomes an otherworldly experience.
I am truly thankful of Peter Brem delivering such musical electronics at a lower price point (though still expensive than many) for an English Teacher in Hong Kong. Personally, I don't really care if it betters than the Audio Note M10. If it does, I am not surprised at all. We need an open mind to accept new ideas.
And once again I salute to Peter Brem who has successfully created such fine electronics at his age. I was told the whole idea was born when he was in the hospital two years ago. There is always hope in life. And this very hope has benefited many people who care about music. I am lucky to be one of them being enlightened by your works.
Peter Brem's life time achivement - heralded as the ultimate dual mono Preamplifier made in Heaven. No words can be used to describe the sound. They are made for people who only has one objective in mind - ultimate reach of musicality via high fidelity reproduction of the original signal. It is neither tube nor solid state. The speakers must be up to the standard to reproduce music signal in a linear manner. Don't blame anything when rest of the chain is not up to the standard.
Our old friend, Charles is back in action and have become a big fan of Da Vinci. His full set of Da Vinci Nifty Pre/Mono amp electronics driving the Intonation speakers.
I was totally blown away by Peter Brem's Virtu master reference mono pre. The rendition of Anna Netrebko has never been reproduced in such sheer realism of dynamic expression under the baton of other flagship preamps to my knowledge. The Nifty Preamp in comparion is for those who has lesser requirement for dynamic expression and opting for more imparted warmth in the mid range. That is clearly not good enough for opera lovers.
I still do not comprehend the phenomenon of "asian coloration" prevailing in the minds of many serious audiophiles. Musicality comes also from tempo, the relationship between the performer and the acoustic venue, transient expression of lyricism etc on top of the mid range warmth. If any system occurs to me the mid range sticks out, it put me down immediately. Maybe I was wired different internally from Asians.
Anyway, the tonal resolution of the Virtu is heavenly in a sense that it is not intentionally decorated to imitate the so called "vintage sound" justifying musicality of older recordings. I cannot always live in the past because the globe is moving forward everyday. On old recordings, the Virtu brings out so much more lower inner details with extremely clear bass contour even at the crescendo of symphonies. Different characteristic of different sessions are presented holistically just as though you are in a concert hall. The perspective is not about front row or mid row, it all depends on the recording and to a certain degree, the gain you want to play it.
The Virtu mono pre has extreme resolution, and this point is clear to my ear. But that does not mean tonal color dries up in exchange for details. Rather, it is the accumulation of even more details to better construct the tonal resolution.
Agree with JLam that it is not for everyone. If your speakers are not linear and has certain frequiences fired up for sale or some sessions cut for physical limitations, please stick with the Nifty.
VR, I am glad we finally met in person yesterday. You sounded much nicer in real person than writing here. I believe my internal wiring is the same as yours. I too dislike coloration. I do not know what is the meaning of vintage sound. I guess artists who lived in the 50s/60s would be very unhappy if they live today knowing we label them as vintage.
Back to the Peter Brem's masterpiece, I concur that it is extremely difficult to reproduce the feeling of "grandeur" or "華麗" in Chinese without firing up the lower mid-range a bit but Virtu does it with ease without coloration in this range. A simple replay of any good piano recording confirms this point. If the designer thickens up the lower mid-range, the harmonic decay around 150hz and below will be presented as one big economical package nice and easy. The structure of the bass session is blurred. The Virtu's rendition of piano is on par with Tidal Prescenio which I have not any preamp that can even come close to Tidal until The Virtu. The Tidal has slightly better transient information but Virtu has slightly better coherence between notes. I would even say the Virtu has more harmonic information on bass than the Tidal.
The real test on Da Vinci is not classical as they are too easy for the system at AE1 nowadays. We played a cut of Hotel California (24/192 hi rez file) to test the control of electronic bass. The thrill and excitement are all there chilling up my spine. When we listened to some of the hard rock recording, we sweated after PT cranked up the volume (without losing stability of sound staging at all) intentionally.
I think sometimes we got mixed up this machine is good for certain music and that machine plays god for other music. Have we ever cleared up the mind to think about this issue clearfully? It is the preference of music that drives us to build a certain system to our favor is the normal logical route. But have one ever constructed a system that is fairly transparent and reasonably neutral for all type of music reproduction?
The Virtu belongs to this class. Nifty is great by any standard at the respective price point but it is made on earth. Virtu is made in another planet.
Raymond, Voy,
Have you ever listened to the Trinity preamp? If so, can you contrast Virtu mono with Trinity? Otherwise, I think it worths an audition....Size wise, Trinity is 'Trinity' without 'rit', ie Tiny, but sound wise, it is mega! I really enjoy it. Serenity depicted by Trinity provides the highest level of transparency that I have ever heard in any other preamps in my system. The articulation of tonality and musicality by Trinity preamp covers not just on the clarity and details, it lets out the colors in a naturally lit like environment, not over shining or over dimming on any part of the music that I hear.
The chasis is certainly tank like and that is why I use the phrase Trinity without the 'rit'...but do not let the eyes deceive yourself on the performance of it. I think it would certainly take the performance of it to the next level but at this stage, the circuit design is already a 'genius'! If you have been shocked by the Trinity phono, this is a must hear or even must own preamp without which you owe the phono justice on the ultimate definition of 'speed' and 'dynamic'.
I know Virtu is a great preamp and certainly untouchable by many, with Trinity preamp, I am not impulsively moved by your reports...(NB. for the time being).
PT is very selective about whom is going to visit his "home". But I have to concur with you on Trinity as a full suite of Trinity driving the Strauss Master Reference speakers in his home is spellbound. The ironic part is the source is just a one-box CD player from Gato of Denmark feeding by Argento Olympic Reference 2012. There is no point to talk about this system here if you have not listened to it once. Even though the room acoustics conditions are not at the level of AE1, the tremendous quality of the Trinity is immediately felt.
Eventually, we can see a preamp with the remote control - Trinity .
Right ?
.
Lookwise, I"d rank the Da Vinci Virtu Mono over Dalby D7.
It is interesting to know how far of these preamp can exceed the AE popular preamp K-10 and the highly rated Tidal preamps.
Comments
I was told the Da Vinci Nifty preamp is very close or even better than the Audio Note M10 pre-amp based on an ABAB comparison done in a mega system in China with Analog Domain Artemis driving a pair of fat Kharma.
It seems to me JLam has not even thought of showing the Dalby D7 preamp. It may be too high profile within the AE community. Maybe, the boss doesn't want to break the "ego" of many.
The Strauss is something extraordinary special. I will set them up either using full suite of Da Vinci electronics or full chain of TRINITY. Get prepared to be blown away and I will only use a modest digital source.
Da Vinci NIFTY 前級揪低Audio Note M10原來是鐵一般的事實.
We need an open mind here. It is not about solid state betters than tube and vice versa. Right technologies have to be employed rightly in combination in order to leap forward to the service of music. Peter Brem's signature Da Vinci transformers are employed all through probably (correct me if I am wrong) with a newly designed single ended circuitry. If you have to ask me about how does it sound, I still feel it sounds more like tube than solid state. The immense resolution of the mid range remains as the most poisonous area. Speed of dynamics is torpedo-like. It is fast but never hurries. When it hit the spot, the impact explodes. The driving power of the amp is quite a big surprise to me. Obviously, it lacks the power of the Virtu. Control is still excellent. Bass notes are tightly presented with recoil. It is quite a big fun to have bouncing bass in the room. I can feel there is a sense of elasticity attached to the string. The Chopin by Cessaro is fully married in happiness with the Da Vinci suite.
I only had a rare chance of listening to the flagship Virtu power amp once for 2 hours, the impact of Da Vinci just stays in my mind. I experienced what DSo and Shanghai Bigpiece had gone through. The only differences are they could afford the Virtu. Good news is that the Nifty is more affordable and that triggered me to offload my old rigs in exchange for a complete Da Vinci experience together with the magnificent NeoDio CDT/DAC as source.
The shocking moment came later when the Nifty suite is connected to the Troy via the CIRCUIT GROUND posts. That becomes an otherworldly experience.
I am truly thankful of Peter Brem delivering such musical electronics at a lower price point (though still expensive than many) for an English Teacher in Hong Kong. Personally, I don't really care if it betters than the Audio Note M10. If it does, I am not surprised at all. We need an open mind to accept new ideas.
And once again I salute to Peter Brem who has successfully created such fine electronics at his age. I was told the whole idea was born when he was in the hospital two years ago. There is always hope in life. And this very hope has benefited many people who care about music. I am lucky to be one of them being enlightened by your works.
I was totally blown away by Peter Brem's Virtu master reference mono pre. The rendition of Anna Netrebko has never been reproduced in such sheer realism of dynamic expression under the baton of other flagship preamps to my knowledge. The Nifty Preamp in comparion is for those who has lesser requirement for dynamic expression and opting for more imparted warmth in the mid range. That is clearly not good enough for opera lovers.
I still do not comprehend the phenomenon of "asian coloration" prevailing in the minds of many serious audiophiles. Musicality comes also from tempo, the relationship between the performer and the acoustic venue, transient expression of lyricism etc on top of the mid range warmth. If any system occurs to me the mid range sticks out, it put me down immediately. Maybe I was wired different internally from Asians.
Anyway, the tonal resolution of the Virtu is heavenly in a sense that it is not intentionally decorated to imitate the so called "vintage sound" justifying musicality of older recordings. I cannot always live in the past because the globe is moving forward everyday. On old recordings, the Virtu brings out so much more lower inner details with extremely clear bass contour even at the crescendo of symphonies. Different characteristic of different sessions are presented holistically just as though you are in a concert hall. The perspective is not about front row or mid row, it all depends on the recording and to a certain degree, the gain you want to play it.
The Virtu mono pre has extreme resolution, and this point is clear to my ear. But that does not mean tonal color dries up in exchange for details. Rather, it is the accumulation of even more details to better construct the tonal resolution.
Agree with JLam that it is not for everyone. If your speakers are not linear and has certain frequiences fired up for sale or some sessions cut for physical limitations, please stick with the Nifty.
Back to the Peter Brem's masterpiece, I concur that it is extremely difficult to reproduce the feeling of "grandeur" or "華麗" in Chinese without firing up the lower mid-range a bit but Virtu does it with ease without coloration in this range. A simple replay of any good piano recording confirms this point. If the designer thickens up the lower mid-range, the harmonic decay around 150hz and below will be presented as one big economical package nice and easy. The structure of the bass session is blurred. The Virtu's rendition of piano is on par with Tidal Prescenio which I have not any preamp that can even come close to Tidal until The Virtu. The Tidal has slightly better transient information but Virtu has slightly better coherence between notes. I would even say the Virtu has more harmonic information on bass than the Tidal.
The real test on Da Vinci is not classical as they are too easy for the system at AE1 nowadays. We played a cut of Hotel California (24/192 hi rez file) to test the control of electronic bass. The thrill and excitement are all there chilling up my spine. When we listened to some of the hard rock recording, we sweated after PT cranked up the volume (without losing stability of sound staging at all) intentionally.
I think sometimes we got mixed up this machine is good for certain music and that machine plays god for other music. Have we ever cleared up the mind to think about this issue clearfully? It is the preference of music that drives us to build a certain system to our favor is the normal logical route. But have one ever constructed a system that is fairly transparent and reasonably neutral for all type of music reproduction?
The Virtu belongs to this class. Nifty is great by any standard at the respective price point but it is made on earth. Virtu is made in another planet.
Have you ever listened to the Trinity preamp? If so, can you contrast Virtu mono with Trinity? Otherwise, I think it worths an audition....Size wise, Trinity is 'Trinity' without 'rit', ie Tiny, but sound wise, it is mega! I really enjoy it. Serenity depicted by Trinity provides the highest level of transparency that I have ever heard in any other preamps in my system. The articulation of tonality and musicality by Trinity preamp covers not just on the clarity and details, it lets out the colors in a naturally lit like environment, not over shining or over dimming on any part of the music that I hear.
The chasis is certainly tank like and that is why I use the phrase Trinity without the 'rit'...but do not let the eyes deceive yourself on the performance of it. I think it would certainly take the performance of it to the next level but at this stage, the circuit design is already a 'genius'! If you have been shocked by the Trinity phono, this is a must hear or even must own preamp without which you owe the phono justice on the ultimate definition of 'speed' and 'dynamic'.
I know Virtu is a great preamp and certainly untouchable by many, with Trinity preamp, I am not impulsively moved by your reports...(NB. for the time being).
PT is very selective about whom is going to visit his "home". But I have to concur with you on Trinity as a full suite of Trinity driving the Strauss Master Reference speakers in his home is spellbound. The ironic part is the source is just a one-box CD player from Gato of Denmark feeding by Argento Olympic Reference 2012. There is no point to talk about this system here if you have not listened to it once. Even though the room acoustics conditions are not at the level of AE1, the tremendous quality of the Trinity is immediately felt.
Right ?
.
Lookwise, I"d rank the Da Vinci Virtu Mono over Dalby D7.
It is interesting to know how far of these preamp can exceed the AE popular preamp K-10 and the highly rated Tidal preamps.